A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (.pdf) includes most of the predictable numbers — Bush is unpopular, Americans are uneasy about the economy, etc. — but respondents were also asked which party they trusted more to handle various policy issues.
The Dems enjoy huge, double-digit advantages on every domestic issue (environment, health care, education, gas prices, budget deficit, taxes, energy policy, and immigration). Republicans still lead on “promoting a strong military” and “dealing with homeland security.”
But when asked which party is more trustworthy on dealing with the “war on terrorism,” it was the only question on which Americans were divided right down the middle — 29% said Dems, 29% said Republicans, 20% said both, and 18% said neither.
In and of itself, that’s not particularly surprising, but the trend is noteworthy. In October 2002, the GOP enjoyed a 36-point advantage on this question. But end of 2003, it had slipped to a 26-point lead. In early 2004, it slipped a few more points, and in late 2004, a few more still. By last fall, the Republicans led Dems on the question by 10 points, and now the GOP advantage has disappeared altogether.
How long, do you suppose, will the media continue to report that Republicans still enjoy far more public trust on terrorism than Dems?
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